Chronique du crime et de l'innocence, tome 8/8

This volume gathers the most striking and unsettling episodes from France’s long criminal record, arranging them in strict chronological order. Drawing on old chronicles, court reports, and contemporary newspapers, it presents a stark portrait of murder, poisoning, massacres and other dark deeds that have shaped the nation’s history. The entries are concise yet vivid, letting the facts speak for themselves while hinting at the social currents that surrounded each tragedy.

One of the early‑19th‑century cases illustrated here follows a troubled young man named Ulbach, whose bitter past and obsessive love for a domestic servant plunge him into violent jealousy. After a stern warning from the girl’s mistress, Ulbach’s mood darkens, and he confronts her on a Parisian street, delivering a brutal assault that ends in her death. The narrative follows the frantic response of onlookers, the frantic chase, and the grim forensic details that soon emerge, offering a chilling glimpse into the mindset of a murderer and the early police work that followed.